All eyes will be on PNC Arena tonight for the highly anticipated showdown between N.C. State and North Carolina. And when I say all eyes, I mean that literally. ESPN’s College GameDay crew is in town ready to give “that other Triangle rivalry” maximum exposure to a national audience.

As epic as the battle between the Wolfpack and Tar Heels figures to be, it’s hardly the only important game in the ACC this weekend. So as you thaw out from last night’s ice storm and waiting to watch your favorite team to play, whoever that might be, here are five things to think about and consider as tipoff time approaches:

1. Is UNC the cure for what ails N.C. State?

Richard Howell presents a difficult matchup for UNC's young big men

The Wolfpack hasn’t been the same team since upsetting No. 1 Duke two weeks ago, suffering from frequent numerous lapses in focus, defensive breakdowns and uncharacteristically bad shooting while losing to Maryland and Wake Forest on the road, and barely beating Clemson at home. Given the circumstances, it would seems as though an opponent riding a 13-game winning streak against State would be the last thing coach Mark Gottfried’s team would want to see right now. But the opposite is true. Not only do the Tar Heels present just the kind of challenge the Wolfpack needs to get its pre-Duke mojo back, but – unlike the Terrapins and Tigers, in particular – they play an up-and-down style that is much more to State’s liking. UNC is also most vulnerable where the Wolfpack is strongest, at the point and in the middle where Lorenzo Brown and Richard Howell figure to have big games against Marcus Paige and whatever young big man happens to be in the game at the time. The matchups and many of the intangibles, specifically homecourt, appear to be breaking in State’s in tonight’s emotional matchup. All the Wolfpack has to do now is take advantage of them.

2. Are the Tar Heels finally turning the corner?

Reggie Bullock's leadership and scoring will be key for the Tar Heels

The red flags that were being waved after coach Roy Williams’ team stumbled to a 2-0 start in the ACC have been furled up and put away for now. But is UNC really over the hump and ready to become an elite team? Or has its current three-game winning streak simply distracted us from problems – specifically, defense intensity, offensive balance and inexperience – just waiting to be re-exposed by a team good enough to exploit them? We’re likely to get the answer tonight, because other than surprise ACC leader Miami at home, the Tar Heels have yet to play an opponent of State’s caliber. Their youngsters will also be tested by an environment even more hostile than they one they faced at Indiana back in early December. UNC lost that game 83-59. In order to prevent a similar result against the Wolfpack, it’s going take poised efforts from veterans Reggie Bullock, James Michael McAdoo and especially Dexter Strickland – whose inflammatory preseason comments are likely taped to every State locker. Otherwise, it might be time to pull out those red flags again – and not those being waved by the Wolfpack’s cheerleaders.

3. If the Wolfpack wins, should its fans storm the court?

C.J. Leslie and his teammates can expect another mob scene if they beat UNC

Postgame court rushes have become all the rage in the ACC this winter. They’ve happened four times over the past two weeks, with three of the celebrations coming after games involving N.C. State. They sure are a lot of fun for the students involved and the television cameras love them, but are the postgame stampedes really necessary? Senior forward Scott Wood doesn’t think so. “I’m going to be honest. I don’t think they should have stormed the court after Duke,” he said. “A win’s a win. You just need to let us shake hands and go on to the next game.” That might be the logical thing to do, but given that the Wolfpack has lost 13 straight to rival UNC and the fact that ESPN will be on hand to document the festivities, another court storming would seem inevitable if the Wolfpack takes care of business tonight. Hopefully, the mob will be a little more mindful of Will Privette and his wheelchair this time.

4. How will Duke bounce back from its beatdown at Miami?

Duke took an uncharacteristic beating at Miami on Wednesday

Contrary to the rumor started by radio host Dan Patrick, coach Mike Krzyzewski didn’t force his Blue Devils to practice for three hours in the middle of the night immediately upon their return home from Wednesday’s 90-67 embarrassment at Miami. That having been said, you can bet Duke has put in some serious work in the two days between that humiliation and today’s home game against Maryland. Even then, it won’t be easy bouncing back from the third-worst loss ever recorded by a team ranked No. 1 in the national polls. Whether the Blue Devils were actually deserving of that top ranking is a debate for another day. But either way, the hammering at the hands of the fired up Hurricanes raised some troubling issues that can’t simply be explained away by the absence of Ryan Kelly. Foremost is the scoreless performance of star guard Seth Curry, whose painful shin splints may be bothering him more than he’s letting on. The Blue Devils have also shown a propensity to get rattled, especially when they’re forced to play outside the cocoon of Cameron Indoor Stadium. They’re not 0-2 in true road games. Then there’s the issue of rebounding. Duke ranks just 112th nationally in that category. It’s a deficiency that has become even more pronounced without Kelly to help center Mason Plumlee on the boards. The Blue Devils were overwhelmed by Miami’s big, experienced frontcourt on Wednesday. They could be in for another long afternoon today if they can’t find a way to box out an equally large Terrapin front line of Alex Len, Charles Mitchell and Shaq Cleare.

5. Is Wake Forest ready to break through on the road?

Devin Thomas and his Deacons hope to carry their success at home onto the road

The young Deacons took a major step forward Tuesday by rallying from 16 points down to upset No. 18 N.C. State. The win was their third straight at home since the start of the ACC schedule and highlighted the progress coach Jeff Bzdelik and his freshman-laden team have made since the start of the season. Now that Wake appears to have reestablished its homecourt advantage at Joel Coliseum, the next phase in its battle back to respectability is to learn how to win on the road. The Deacons came close in their last away game at Virginia Tech, falling by just one after C.J. Harris and Tyler Cavanaugh both missed shots around the basket in the final seconds. They’ll get their next best chance at a breakthrough today at Georgia Tech, a team that is off to an 0-5 start in the league. It’s definitely a winnable game for Wake, as long as it doesn’t get too cocky in the aftermath of an emotional victory in which freshman center Devin Thomas broke through for a career-high 25 points and 14 rebounds.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy the games!

And don’t forget to follow my live updates from the State-UNC game at PNC Arena starting at 7 p.m. on Twitter @starnewsacc.